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Rovo MCP server "search" tool returns 403 "The app is not installed on this instance"

Rovo MCP server "search" tool returns 403 "The app is not installed on this instance"

Cloud site: moveinsync.atlassian.net (cloudId a6e123b0-3842-4bc0-b88a-8a83e1c5458f)

We're integrating an internal app with the Atlassian Rovo MCP server to run semantic Jira search. The "search" tool is exposed when we connect over OAuth, but
every call to it fails with:

403 — "You don't have permission to search content. Please contact your administrator to request access. Details: { code: 403, message: 'The app is not
installed on this instance' }"

What we've already verified:
- Rovo search works fine in the Jira UI for our user (nipin.mishra@moveinsync.com).
- Connected via OAuth (mcp-remote) with a freshly issued token — the "search" and "fetch" tools ARE listed, but calling "search" returns the 403 above.
- Re-authenticating with a fresh token gives the same 403 (so it's not a stale token).
- Rovo MCP server settings: Permissions → Search = ALLOWED; Authentication → API token = ON; Domains → supported domains allowed.
- Admin → Rovo → "Rovo access" shows that choosing which apps/groups can use Rovo requires a paid plan, and it is currently not configured.

Questions:
1. What Rovo plan/entitlement is required so that an APP (not just a UI user) can call the Rovo MCP "search" tool?
2. What does "The app is not installed on this instance" mean here, and how do we install/provision Rovo Search for apps on our instance?
3. Is OAuth required (vs API token), and does the search tool need anything beyond the "Search" permission group being ALLOWED?

Goal: be able to call the Rovo MCP "search" tool programmatically to fetch semantically-relevant Jira tickets.

2 answers

1 accepted

0 votes

Answer accepted

Hola Nipin,

I think @Arkadiusz Wroblewski is asking the right questions, but the plan/access note in your post may be the bigger clue.

If the search and fetch tools are listed, but Search fails only when you call it, I'd separate this into two things: whether the MCP server is allowed to expose the tool, and whether Rovo Search is actually available for that site/app context.

The Search = ALLOWED setting suggests the MCP permission side is enabled, but the message "The app is not installed on this instance" suggests Rovo Search isn't fully provisioned or entitled for that instance through MCP. That also aligns with what you saw in Admin: configuring which apps/groups can use Rovo requires a paid plan and isn't currently set up.

I'd check three things first:

The OAuth token was issued for the same cloudId as the site returning the 403.
The OAuth consent includes the Search:rovo:mcp scope.
The site has the required Rovo/Rovo Search entitlement for MCP search, not just normal UI search for the user.

Atlassian's Rovo MCP search/fetch page is probably the most relevant reference here: https://support.atlassian.com/atlassian-rovo-mcp-server/docs/using-rovo-search-and-fetch-in-the-atlassian-remote-mcp-server/

So I wouldn't treat this as only a stale token or a normal Jira permission issue. If the same user can search in the Jira UI but MCP search returns "The app is not installed on this instance," I'd focus on Rovo entitlement/provisioning for MCP search on that site.

Thanks,

James

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Hi James, I want to know, if Rovo is not configured for my company so it is possible to enable this search tool of Rovo just for a specific set of users or just for me, or they need to upgrade the whole plan of it.
As Admin told me, no additional privilege is there to enable this. Not possible for user level

Thanks,
Nipin Mishra

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Like • Anwesha Pan likes this

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Hello @Nipin Mishra

Can an organization admin confirm that Atlassian Administration → Rovo → Rovo MCP server → Permissions → Search is explicitly allowed for this site?

Is the token or consent definitely generated for the exact same cloudId that is returning the error? Additionally, does it explicitly include the search:rovo:mcp scope?

Best,

Arkadiusz🤠

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Hi Arkadiusz Wroblewski,

I want to know, if Rovo is not configured for my company so it is possible to enable this search tool of Rovo just for a specific set of users or just for me, or they need to upgrade the whole plan of it.
As Admin told me, no additional privilege is there to enable this. Not possible for user level

Thanks,
Nipin Mishra

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Like • Anwesha Pan likes this

@Nipin Mishra

Your admin is right this isn't a standard Jira project permission. The Rovo MCP search tool relies on a dedicated permission model managed in Atlassian Administration (under Atlassian Rovo MCP server > Permissions > Search), which first requires Rovo to be provisioned for your site (Rovo > Rovo access).

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Rovo MCP server "search" tool returns 403 "The app is not installed on this instance"

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